An Internal Control Overview By ETSU Department of Internal Audit Department of Internal Audit

What is Internal Control? Internal control consists of the policies and procedures that the ETSU administration has put in place to help ensure that the university meets its goals and objectives. Controls relate to financial and operational policies as well as the compliance with legislative requirements. Department of Internal Audit

What are The Objectives of Internal Control? Safeguarding university assets Operational efficiency Compliance with applicable laws and regulations Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of financial reporting Department of Internal Audit

Why is Internal Control Important? Department of Internal Audit

Why is Internal Control Important? Internal control protects you by catching small mistakes before they become big problems. Internal control protects the university by removing opportunities for innocent mistakes or intentional fraud to cause harm. Department of Internal Audit

The Components of Internal Control Internal Control is composed of a number of interrelated components that work together to achieve the university’s goals. The control environment Risk Assessment Control Activities Information & Communication Monitoring Department of Internal Audit

The Control Environment The control environment is the core of any system of internal control. It sets the tone for the entire organization. Department of Internal Audit

The Control Environment The control environment is made up of The ethics and integrity of the administration and employees of the university. The commitment to competence at all levels. The administration's operating style and attitude toward controls. Human resource policies (and practices). Organizational structure Department of Internal Audit

Department of Internal Audit Risk Assessment Risk assessment is the evaluation to determine those areas and functions within the university and each department that have risk of errors, noncompliance, and fraud. Controls may then be put in place to help mitigate the risks identified during risk assessment Department of Internal Audit

Department of Internal Audit Control Activities Control activities consist of the specific policies and procedures that are put in place to mitigate the risk of error, noncompliance, and fraud. There are several categories of control activities Physical control of assets Segregation of duties Authorization of activities Adequate documentation Independent performance review Department of Internal Audit

Department of Internal Audit Segregation of Duties Responsibility for the custody of assets (as well as authorization of transactions related to assets) should be kept separate from the accounting for those assets. Responsibility for operations should be separate from the related record-keeping. Major functions within an electronic data processing department should also be separated. Department of Internal Audit

Adequate Documentation Documents should be as simple as possible so that they are clearly understood by all users. Documents should be prenumbered and the use of the documents should be periodically verified to ensure accountability. Department of Internal Audit

Independent Performance Review The independent performance review is designed to ensure that the other controls are properly designed and working properly. Changes in operations may make some controls unnecessary and may cause the need for new controls (Example: Controls over computer access). Department of Internal Audit

Information and Communication Adequate information and communication systems help the university personnel obtain and process information that is needed to carry on and control the operations of the university Department of Internal Audit

Department of Internal Audit Monitoring Monitoring is the review of controls by the university administration to verify that the controls are achieving the desired results. Once again, as the operations of the university change, the related controls must be changed to ensure that the goals of the university are met. Department of Internal Audit

Limitations on Internal Control The effectiveness of any system of internal control depends on the competence of the people who use it. Internal control can be weakened by the management override of control activities. Controls can be defeated by the collusion of two or more people. Department of Internal Audit

Department of Internal Audit Questions This presentation is an overview of the basic principles of internal control. Please visit our web page to ask anonymous internal control questions or to view answers to frequent questions http://www.etsu.edu/intaudit.htm Department of Internal Audit